En Pointe
by Treta Aysel
Summary: Gilbert worked hard to try to earn a spot in the New York Ballet company, but sometimes, things don't go exactly as planned. [Washette]


**En Pointe: **

_New York_

This was it.

This was the final audition to make it into the New York Ballet company.

Backstage buzzed with excitement.

Brown eyes glanced around, and Gilbert saw a few dancers warming up at the barre. They were in one of the next groups to go. Bag slung over his shoulder; he made his way to where his group was getting ready. Adrienne, his partner, changing from street shoes into ballet flats. "Ready for today?" She asked as she tied her shoes on her feet.

Gilbert shrugged as he grinned over at Adrienne. "Ready as I'll ever be." He glanced around at all the dancers getting ready. The first couple of groups had auditioned, thinning the crowd backstage a little bit.

"Do you think we'll get in?" Adrienne asked, sitting on the floor and sinking into a few stretches.

"I honestly have no idea," Gilbert began as he stretched with her, taking a leg in his hand. A reason why Gilbert had been glad to be partnered with Adrienne was the fact they both were from France. Sure, there were other dancers from France, but he didn't make a connection with them like had with Adrienne.

He grinned at her as he let go of her leg. "But I don't see why we shouldn't. We're the best pair after all."

Adrienne giggled, shaking her head as she reached up, making sure her dark curls were secure in a bun. "You're right about that."

"Group twelve," the stage manager called, clipboard in hand as she looked at them. "You're on next."

"That's us," Adrienne grinned at Gilbert. The four of them found themselves sitting on stage in front of the casting directors sitting there. As the four of them made their way to their starting points, Gilbert glanced around, eyes widening when he saw a familiar face.

He really shouldn't have been surprised.

_Two Weeks Ago_

_Gilbert stopped dancing, watching himself in the mirror as he tried to catch his breath. He closed his yes before reaching down to pick up his water bottle, taking a drink of water before setting it back down. _

"_Your dancing is proficient enough, but you could always add a bit more passion into your moves and expression." _

_Gilbert's hand reached out and rested on the barre a he stared at the other man in the doorway. A thin line appeared on his lips as he watched the other man, brows furrowing in confusion. "What do you mean?" Dancing had always been a passion for him, something he worked hard on, something he dedicated his life to. Some strange man telling him he needed to add more passion to his dancing was like a punch in the gut. _

_The man held up a hand. "You move very fluidly but I want to feel what you're feeling in the moment." _

_Gilbert stared at him a moment longer before his eyes widened, and he let out a small gasp of recognition. "You're George Washington, the former dancer. What…what are you doing here?" It was someone he should have recognized; he was well known in the community and he even had studied and followed his career. _

"_It's nice to meet you." _

As soon as the music started, Gilbert found himself throwing everything he had into the movements. He wanted to show the directors, and more importantly, George, that he deserved to have a spot in the company.

He wanted to impress George.

He wanted to be the one that they all looked at.

_Gilbert brought himself into a pose as the music ended. He waited a few beats before finally letting go. He glanced over at George who was leaning against the barre in front of the mirror. "How was that?" _

_They had been meeting after Gilbert's practice with Adrienne every day for a week now. He wasn't sure why George was helping him but he knew he certainly didn't mind the extra practice. Getting a look at the other groups made him want to practice even more. _

_He knew the competition was stiff. _

_He knew he needed to earn his spot._

_George nodded as he made his way over to where Gilbert stood. "Good but remember that you'll have a partner when auditioning." He came around behind Gilbert, snaking his arm around his waist. Gilbert's heart stopped in his chest as he stood there, frozen. George's arm tightened around him. "Do you see my arm?" _

_Looking down, Gilbert nodded, not saying a word. "I do," he murmured softly. _

"_Good, try to keep your arm this tight when practicing." _

_Gilbert nodded, his breath coming back as soon as George's arm freed him. "I'll try my best." He murmured as he shook his head, trying to clear all thoughts before practicing once again. _

Adrienne twirled over to him and he took in a deep breath, keeping his arm tight around her waist as he lifted her in the air before setting her back down on the ground once more for her to finish their routine.

_George resumed his position at the front near the barre as Gilbert ended once again. He was still before nodded his head. "Good, and I saw a bit of your practice today. You're getting better at lifting your partner when the time comes. I think that'll be a solid part of your audition for sure." _

_Gilbert smiled to himself as he found a place to sit on the floor. After all day of practice, he needed a moment or two to rest his feet. He reached for his water bottle, taking a sip, before setting it aside. "I'm glad, Adrienne and I have bene working on that for the past couple of days." _

"_The way you two move together is very natural. It's nice to be able to have a partner you connect so well with." _

_Gilbert smiled as he glanced up at George. "Did you have a partner that you connected with like we do?" _

_George was silent for a moment or two, staring down at the floor before he met Gilbert's eyes, turning away. "Another time." _

The music ended before Gilbert knew it. The time on stage had seemed so short once it was over. He held the ending pose for a moment or two before they broke it and faced the directors. Gilbert's eyes met George's for a moment before George broke the gaze and turned to the other directors as they talked amongst themselves for a moment.

After a moment or two, they pulled away and faced the four of them on stage. "First of all," George began as he looked at all of them, the tiniest hint of a smile on his face. "Bravo to all of you. You were all wonderful, we have a few more groups to get to before we announce who will be getting a place in the company."

The four of them nodded before they headed backstage to take a seat while everything was waiting to be announced.

_Gilbert stood in front of the mirror of the practice room. He took a deep breath as he turned to George, who was standing next to him. "Audition is in two days. There's no way I'm ready for it." _

"_Hey," George began as he placed his hands on Gilbert's soldiers trying to help him calm down the best way that he knew how. "You're going to be fine. I've seen many dancers practicing over the last two weeks, and I think you're ready." _

_Gilbert bit his lower lip nodding his head as he looked up at George, trying his best to study the man in front of him. "I just feel that I won't be as good as everyone else. I've seen them practice but I feel like they're all way better than I am." He shrugged his shoulders and George let out a small sigh. He took one of Gilbert's hand as he led him to one side of the room. _

"_Hush don't say that. Don't worry. You're good at what you do. You need to believe in yourself a little more. You're great at dancing. I know this. I've seen a lot of hopefuls come and go in this place. You're amazing. Don't sell yourself short." He smiled as he lifted Gilbert's hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss on it. "I know you'll do well Gilbert; you deserve this chance. __Go home and rest, Gilbert. You've been at this for a couple of days now. You deserve a break and some rest before the big day." _

_Gilbert nodded, glancing over his shoulder at the man still in the practice room. He looked at George for a moment longer before leaving to go home. _

"Gilbert?" Adrianne's voice brought him back to reality. They were backstage, putting their street shoes back on. She had a concerned look on her face as she looked at him.

"Oui?"

"Do you want to go grab a coffee with us?" As she asked, she motioned to the two others that had auditioned with them.

He looked at the group before shaking his head, offering them a small smile. "Non, thank you for the invite though. I think I'll wait here until its time."

Adrianne nodded as she gave him a smile. "We'll see you in a little bit then."

Gilbert nodded, smiling as he watched them leave.

"_Do you come here often?" _

_Looking up, Gilbert blinked as he saw George in the same café that he was in. He glanced over his shoulder and found that he was looking right at him. Tomorrow was the day before the audition and while everyone else was rehearsing, Gilbert had found himself taking George's advice to relax a bit. _

_He shook his head as he took a sip from his iced coffee, setting it back down. "Non, but it was close and I'm meeting with Adrienne later." There was a small pause before he gestured to the seat across from him. "Please join me." _

_After a moment passed, George joined him and sat in the seat across. "Are you nervous for tomorrow?" _

_Gilbert took in a deep breath before letting it out. "No, not really. I've been working hard to earn this spot and I think it'll show if I earned it or not." _

_Another small pause before George nodded his head. "I see, well, I think you'll do just fine. I see you decided to rest today." _

_Gilbert grinned, nodding. "Yeah, I'm still meeting with Adrianne and we're going to practice for an hour two but nothing too extreme." _

"_Good, good." _

"We missed you at coffee today." Adrienne said as she lowered herself into the seat next to Gilbert's. She reached over, handing him a cup of iced coffee. "I did get you something though."

He smiled at her, leaning in to place a kiss on her cheek. "Thank you, you didn't have to. That was very kind of you."

She shrugged, tucking a strand of hair that had fallen out of her bun behind her ear. "You looked a little worried. I don't mind."

"First off," the conversation had been cut short as their attention was brought to the stage. The directors were on the stage, facing all of them. "We want to thank you all for coming. You are all a talented group of individuals. We have a group that we know for sure made it today and there are some we're still deliberating between. We'll call the names of those who made it today."

Gilbert took in a breath as the names were being called.

One by one, his nerves began to eat at him.

Adrienne's name was called not before too long. Soon everyone's name in their group was called except for Gilbert.

George's gaze was piercing as he looked out at the audience. "That's it for everyone who made it right away. We'll be calling over the few days to tell the rest of you if you made it for sure."

"Gilbert?" Adrienne began as she placed a hand on Gilbert's shoulder. There was a frown on her face. "Are you going to be okay?"

He nodded, giving her a smile. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Why don't you go ahead, and I'll meet you guys later?"

Adrianne nodded her head as she watched Gilbert for another moment or two before following the rest of their group out.

Gilbert waited a moment or two before everyone cleared out before he made his way over to George. He cleared his throat trying to get his attention. "Gilbert," George's eyes widened a bit before offering him a half smile and a small nod. "Can I help you?"

A smile made its way across Gilbert's face as he nodded his head. He glanced down at his shoes for a moment before looking up. "Yeah, I was just wondering if we could get a cup of coffee from that café?"

George waited a moment before shaking his head. "I'm sorry, I can't. I have to get home for dinner before meeting with the other directors about who we're choosing to accept."

Feeling his heart sinking a little bit, Gilbert nodded with a smile on his face still. "I understand, I look forward to the call then."

Gilbert soon left in a hurry, trying to get home waiting for the phone call that he hoped would come soon.

_Three Days Later_

Gilbert sat by the window in his apartment, glancing out at the street. In his mind, he played his audition repeatedly. He thought he had done well enough to earn his spot in the ballet company but now he wasn't so sure. His eyes closed as he let his head rest against the wall.

His phone began vibrating and eyes opened, Gilbert quickly sat up and picked up his phone. "Hello?" He said, his breath nearly catching in his throat.

It was George.

His anxiety growing even more than it was before.

He bit his lower lip before his posture began to slouch. "I-I see, well, thank you again for the opportunity."

He hung up the phone, eyes beginning to prickle with tears.

He knew he had worked hard but it didn't seem like he worked hard enough.

_A Year Later_

"Are you ready?"

A grin appeared on his lips, nodding his head. She was the star of the show and she certainly looked like it. While he hadn't been in the company long, he was excited to be dancing under her and learning from her and the other senior dancers.

After the rejection from the New York Ballet company, he had gone back to Paris, audition for their company.

He had made it.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

She smiled at him, nodding her head. "You've been working hard, you'll do great."

The performance ended quickly, and Gilbert never wanted it to end. It was his dream was coming true, he couldn't believe it. He was soon taking a bow with the rest of the company in front of the large crowd.

It was everything he ever wanted.

Well, almost everything.

After changing and getting packed up, Gilbert headed outside the theater, bag slung over his shoulder as he began to make his way back to his apartment.

"Gilbert?"

A familiar voice behind him, Gilbert froze. Taking in a deep breath, he counted to three before turning around to stare at George, face to face. "What are you doing here?"

"I came here to see you," George began as he handed him a bouquet of roses. "Those are for you. Your performance tonight was wonderful."

Without saying a word, Gilbert accepted them. He closed his eyes, taking in the scent of the roses. "Well, thank you."

There was an awkward silence between the two of them. "You know the reason why you weren't accepted wasn't because you weren't good enough, right?"

Eyes widening, Gilbert looked back up at George. The pain of not being accepted came back up. He shook his head. "No, you never told me why." He whispered as his gaze dropped to the floor.

A hand came out, cupping Gilbert's cheek in his hand. He wanted to pull away from George, but he stood there, staring at him and waiting.

"No, we couldn't accept you because the other directors thought I was sleeping with you."

Brown eyes widened a bit as he looked up at George. "What…?"

George took in a deep breath, glancing away for a second before he looked back at Gilbert. "No, it wasn't because you weren't good but because the other directors saw us together several times here. They saw me helping you. They saw us at coffee together too." There was a small pause. "I wanted to accept you into the company but then there would have been rumors and I didn't want your career to be surrounded by that."

Gilbert was silent for a moment, nodding his head. It still hurt, but hearing the explanation made it hurt a little less.

A smile soon appeared on Gilbert's face. "Well, would you like to join me for coffee at a nearby café?"

George smiled, nodding in response. "I would love you."

"Great, I know just the perfect one." Gilbert said, taking George's hand in his own as he led the way.

Now he had everything he had ever wanted.

**AN: This is something I've been working on for a few months now. I know the ship is a little bit unconventional but I enjoy writing it. I might write a prequal to this but I do have a lot of other projects that I'm excited to get to and share with you all as well. Until next time. **


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